Flights to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei from the US

Quick answer: Hong Kong and Taipei are the easy ones: Cathay Pacific and United fly nonstop to Hong Kong, and EVA Air, China Airlines, STARLUX, United and Delta fly to Taipei, from a long list of US cities. Shanghai Pudong has fewer nonstops because US-China flights are limited by government agreement; Delta and United fly there from a handful of hubs, along with Chinese airlines. US citizens can visit Hong Kong and Taiwan for 90 days without a visa. Mainland China still needs a visa for a normal round trip, unless you use the 240-hour visa-free transit with an onward ticket to a third country or region.

Facts checked November 2026. Schedules and entry rules change, so confirm with the airline and the official government site before you travel.

Greater China and Taiwan flights at a glance

Where you can fly in Greater China and Taiwan

Each city links to every route guide we publish into that airport; each guide covers the airlines, connections and baggage rules, with live fares when the page loads.

• Flights to Shanghai (PVG)7 route guides
• Flights to Hong Kong (HKG)7 route guides
• Flights to Taipei (TPE)1 route guide

How this page fits with our East Asia guide

Our Flights to East Asia guide covers the whole region, including Japan and South Korea, and gives the entry rules for each country. This page looks only at Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei, three cities that are often combined on one trip, and goes into what the broad guide summarizes: who flies each route, why mainland China has fewer flights, and how to use the 240-hour transit rule between them.

If Tokyo or Seoul is part of your plan, the East Asia guide and our Japan guide are the better starting point.

Hong Kong and Taipei: the widest choice

Cathay Pacific flies nonstop to Hong Kong from seven US gateways: Boston, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York JFK, San Francisco and Seattle. United flies Hong Kong from San Francisco. In New York, Cathay flies from JFK, not Newark.

Taipei has three Taiwanese airlines competing on US routes. EVA Air, in Star Alliance, added Washington Dulles in June 2026, its tenth North American gateway. China Airlines, in SkyTeam, and STARLUX both began Phoenix flights in the past year, joining their West Coast routes. United flies to Taipei as well, and Delta flies Seattle to Taipei. As of recent schedules, check with the airline for which days each route runs.

Hong Kong opened its expanded Terminal 2 departure hall on 27 May 2026, and some airlines now check in there while boarding still uses Terminal 1 gates. Check your airline's check-in area before you go to the airport.

Shanghai and the US-China flight limits

Flights between the US and mainland China are capped by agreement between the two governments, and the number is still well below pre-pandemic levels. As of recent schedules, Delta flies to Shanghai Pudong from Detroit, Seattle and Los Angeles, the Los Angeles flight rising to five a week from October 2026, and United flies from San Francisco. Chinese airlines, including China Eastern, add more flights.

Frequencies change often on these routes, so check with the airline before you plan around a nonstop. Without one, a connection in Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo or Seoul is the usual alternative, and it opens up the transit rule below.

Entry rules for US citizens

Hong Kong allows US passport holders 90 days visa-free. Taiwan allows US citizens 90 days visa-free, and every visitor must complete the free online Taiwan Arrival Card within three days before arrival; ignore paid sites that charge for it.

Mainland China: the United States is not on China's 30-day visa-free list, so a normal round trip from the US needs a tourist visa. US citizens can use 240-hour visa-free transit instead: arrive at a designated port such as Shanghai with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region and stay up to 240 hours in the permitted areas. China also uses a digital arrival card.

Hong Kong and Taiwan count as separate regions for the transit rule. A trip of US to Shanghai to Hong Kong, or US to Taipei to Shanghai to Hong Kong, can qualify; US to Shanghai and straight back to the US does not. Confirm the current port list with the Chinese embassy before you fly.

Combining the three cities on one trip

An open-jaw ticket works well here: fly into Taipei and home from Hong Kong, or into Shanghai and home from Hong Kong, with a short regional flight in between. Flights between Taipei, Hong Kong and Shanghai are short and frequent, and Cathay Pacific, EVA Air and China Airlines all sell them as part of one ticket from the US.

On the ground, Hong Kong's high-speed rail links the city to Shenzhen and Guangzhou. In Taiwan, the Taoyuan Airport MRT runs to Taipei Main Station, and the high-speed rail has a station near the airport for trips down the island.

Best and quietest months to fly

Lunar New Year is the busiest travel week in all three places; in 2027 it falls in early February. China's National Day holiday in the first week of October is also very busy on mainland routes.

Typhoon season, roughly June to October, can disrupt flights to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and summer is hot and humid. October to December brings the most comfortable weather. The quietest windows are usually mid-January to early March outside the Lunar New Year week, and early December. The fare grid on each route guide shows what is live for your dates.

Route guides to Greater China and Taiwan

Frequently asked questions